My Unnamed Masterpiece
by Quidditchplayersdoitbest
Summary: Story of the Golden Trio after their sixth year. Starts on train ride home, plan to cover the summer before what should be their seventh, should they choose to return. Please let me know someone is reading!
1. Preface

Preface

I wish I could go back to the first day of that summer. That hot summer. That summer full of mystery and confusion. But also love, and more of it than I had ever known. I have never seen so much love as I did when we were all facing the idea that we may never love again. And that is a scary prospect. One that drives the least heroic of us to step forward and become more than a sidekick, but my own personal hero. I owe my life to the thought that love was to be lost and losses were to be those we loved. And that's what He wanted. He wanted to see love gone, love fallen through the cracks, the world devoid of love and everything good. But thanks to the love that survived even the harshest of threats, the most difficult of losses, and the largest battles- nothing will ever replace that summer.

The summer started off with a feeling of hopelessness and despair as we three traveled home on the scarlet train, the Hogwarts Express. I could see it in his bright green eyes that he had no intention of ever being on that train again. And I couldn't blame him. None of us saw what happened that night but him and none of us knew what would happen and we didn't know why it had to be him. As Ron and I struggled to reach him, struggled to console him, though we all felt the weight of the hole now occupying our hearts and spirit, I couldn't help but feel like we weren't the ones he needed just now. And I knew we weren't the ones he needed, but he would never admit that the person he needed the most was the one who loved him the most and the only one he couldn't let near him because of it. I'm a girl, I see these things. As I stared at him staring out the window, his hands running through his jet black mess of hair, as if trying to suck out the memories inside that head, I wondered why all I could think about was the boy whose shoulder I'd cried on, whose hand I had held as we all watched with broken hearts the burial of the greatest wizard who ever lived. But that was hours ago. Now we all looked at the gloomy prospects of our future.


	2. Chapter 1: The Silent Ride Home

Chapter 1

"I'm not staying there long if I can help it." Hermione titled her head up to look at Harry. After an hour of no words, she was glad to hear something, but worried over what was said.

"Stay where, Harry?" She asked, a hint of confusion in her voice. Hermione remembered Harry saying that after leaving the Dursley's, he wanted to set off for Godric's Hollow. Hermione and Ron had agreed, as long as he attended the wedding and reminded him that, of course, they were going with him. She was just afraid that maybe he planned on getting there sooner than they had hoped.

"My Aunt and Uncle's. If I don't have to be there…" he began, but was cut off by Hermione.

"But Harry, you _do_ have to be there, you know that. Dumbledore said…"

"Dumbledore said I only had to return there every summer until I was of age. I'm going to go, but I'll be up and out of there and at the Burrow before you even know I was gone."

Hermione smiled at this, there was no period of time where she wouldn't realize Harry was gone. She and Ron would either rip each other's heads off or bore themselves to death without Harry. She continued thinking back to the days of the summer before last, when Ron and Hermione had been at the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, waiting for Harry to arrive. There wasn't a day that went by that they didn't find something to argue over. Whether it was Crookshanks ending up in Ron's room or Ron being… well… Ron, they were always having a row about something. And then there were the days when Ron would want to play Quidditch and Hermione couldn't fly well, so they'd sit around bored until they whipped out the chess set and they'd have a row because Hermione didn't want to play so she could keep losing.

Harry had been watching Hermione as her face went from a smile to an odd sort of annoyed expression as she looked to her right and saw Ron completely out of it on her shoulder. She then started to smile. She looked up at Harry and saw Harry had been watching her thinking. Harry embarrassedly looked down, thinking once again that his two friends obviously had something between them that they weren't quite ready to face each other on just yet. Harry had seen this coming the past two or three years and knew his friends couldn't be completely blind to it. Ron's fling with Lavender, Hermione's retaliation with Cormac, Ron's jealousy over the Viktor Krum fiasco. All of this, Harry knew, was their weird way of realizing how they felt for each other. And though Harry wasn't sure how he felt about this future relationship, he knew it was inevitable.

"Harry?" Harry looked back up at Hermione's now concerned face, "You do know that wherever you choose to go, we'll be right there with you, right?"

Harry smiled "I know."

"All the way to the end."

While this phased Harry's smile, he couldn't help but feel a surge of comfort at his friend's words of loyalty. "I know."

They both jumped at the sound of Ron's grunting snore. Hermione's jump had caused the sleeping beauty to fall into her lap and fighting the urge to smack him upside his head, she merely got up to sit next to Harry, leaving Ron disheveled and looking around aimlessly wondering how he ended up alone on the leathery train seat.

"Well good morning sleepyhead," said Harry with a rare laugh "we wondered when the senseless muttering would stop."

"Whazzat Harry?"

"You mumble in your sleep, mate."

The trio laughed as Neville and Luna entered the compartment.

"Have you guys seen Ginny?" Luna asked in her usual dreamy tone and glazed expression. Harry looked out the window, not ready to hear that name just yet. So Hermione felt the need to take over.

"Not since… well, we haven't see her on the train, did you check with the other fifth years?" Hermione asked, carefully dodging the subject of the funeral that took place just hours ago.

"Well no, but I thought I'd find her in here with Harry… I guess not." This jolted Harry from his daydream, he'd been dreaming of the days when it was still safe to love. He supposed the news wouldn't have reached Luna just then, no one really knew that he had ended things with Ginny. He knew this would make the summer harder, but figured in the long run when Ginny was still alive and Voldemort was gone, she'd thank him and they'd renew their relationship. He hadn't really thought too much about Bill and Fleur's wedding and the awkwardness of the situation.

Just then, Hermione stood up and offered to help Luna look for Ginny while Ron continued to snore loudly and Harry stared determinedly at the passing mountains and blue sky, leaving Neville to endure the silence.

Looking for Ginny turned out to be quite the search, they'd checked every compartment throughout the train, and finally they reached the last train car, with only half the compartments full. Hermione supposed there would be some empty places considering the students who left during the year and the few who had joined the ranks of Voldemort in the battle. There, in the last compartment was Ginny, staring aimlessly out the window just as Harry had been, with a few tears streaming down her face.

"Luna, maybe you should go back to the boys and let them know we've found her. I'll stay here and see what's going on." Luna walked away looking slightly affronted, but Hermione knew she understood. Knocking lightly on the compartment's sliding door to let Ginny know she was there, Hermione entered and sat down across from Ginny who turned her head in Hermione's direction. Hermione's heart broke as she looked at her tear stained face. "Oh, Ginny…" she said sympathetically, reaching across and embracing Ginny. And then Ginny's tears just flowed.

"Hermione, I thought…" she searched with her eyes the space in front of her, as though the words she needed were there for her to read. "I knew that he would have to do this. I knew that he couldn't not hunt Voldemort. He's Harry, that's what he does." She stopped again, thinking and mouthing words to herself. "It's just that, I didn't expect him to want to leave me behind."

"Ginny, you have to respect his wishes. He can't handle the thought of losing you because Voldemort took advantage of your connection." Ginny looked up at her. "Harry has lost so many people in his life, all people he loved, and all trying to save him and he sees it that the only way to protect you is to be away from you."

"I know, but it sounds so stupid. I mean, Snape knows we're together, he's not dumb. So what does it matter if that changes? And breaking up doesn't change feelings, it's not like I'm going to be able to stay away from him this summer. We're going to technically be together anyway so I don't see why we should waste any part of our lives not being together. I could care less if Voldemort comes after me, he's done it before and I turned out fine."

"Harry saved you from that one, and I bet he feels that was his fault too."

Ginny glared at this. The tears had long since dried up and she wasn't going to let Hermione make her see Harry's side, she just wouldn't. "But what if I don't care? Why doesn't it matter that I want to be together regardless of the dangers? Does he really think I didn't realize how dangerous it is to be involved with Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One? I was there at the Department of Mysteries, I've fought before and I'm ready to do it again."

Hermione stared at the blazing look of determination on Ginny's face as she said this and prayed she could come up with the words to make her realize that it's not her choice. "Ginny, it's not that I completely, or even partially, think that Harry is right in this, but you have to understand where he's coming from and if you really love him, you won't try to interfere with that decision."

Ginny looked at her and could only say one thing. "I do love him."

"So please try to salvage your friendship and come join us in our compartment, it's awfully strange without you there and Luna was looking for you, too."

Hermione stood up, and Ginny followed reluctantly to the boy's compartment.

Hermione walked into the compartment, with Ginny in her wake, and sat down next to Harry so that Ginny could sit next to Ron. Ginny was grateful for this, but still wished she could sit next to Harry.

Harry's eyes followed Ginny as she sat down beside Ron and then he turned his head back out the window to continue his daydreaming of when he and Ginny were still together. The six of them sat in silence until the crumpling of Luna's magazine caught their attention. Harry saw the back cover where there was a brightly colored ad for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes newest inventions and some old ones including the constipation sensation sweeping the nation U-No-Poo. Harry couldn't help but laugh out loud as he remembered a similar ad in Hogsmeade earlier that year.

Harry's laugh broke the silence as Hermione looked up at Harry. "What?"

"U-No-Poo" was all Harry could muster in between laughs. Then, it hit everyone and all six of the friends started to laugh.

An hour later, Neville and Luna were immersed in a conversation about recent sightings of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, Ron and Hermione were bickering over S.P.E.W. ("It's 'S. P. E. W.' not 'spew' and you know that Ronald! Stop saying that!" "Stop saying _what_?"), and Ginny sat reading while Harry watched Ron and Hermione, occasionally stealing glances at Ginny. He really couldn't help himself. He knew it was going to take all he had to not stare at Ginny all summer. Though he never said it, he knew he loved her. Everything about her made his heart race. Her eyes were enchanting, her hair was brilliant, her laugh intoxicating. Her very touch made his skin tingle and her kiss was electric. Yes, he knew he loved Ginny Weasley and that was why he had to save her from Voldemort, no matter how much he wanted her right then.

"- I don't know, maybe you're right Ron…" All eyes turned to Hermione as all ears heard something no one ever thought possible. "Maybe they really don't want my help."

Ron looked more shocked than anyone. "What? You're agreeing with me? You don't ever agree with me…" Ron glanced at Hermione with a look of apprehension before he decided to celebrate his victory. "Why are you agreeing with me?"

"Well, I don't really agree with you, I still don't think they're beating treated fairly, but I do see that they don't seem to mind. And well, it didn't seem as if my clothes plan was working anyway, we still have house-elves at Hogwarts and I'd set out enough clothes to free them all!" Hermione thought to herself in her confusion and therefore missed Harry and Ron's glance towards each other and Ginny's hushed giggles.

The rest of the train ride continued in talking, eating sweets from the trolley, and games of Exploding Snap (one in which Neville managed to singe his eyebrows off), and before they knew it, they had pulled up to Platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross.


End file.
